Welcome to the SeeMeCNC Community

With the exception of soldering the leads on the thermistor (done, but ugly) and this stupid base plate, my build has been going well. This plate, though is seriously annoying me. I'd already installed it wrong once, having the "open" side of the plate facing the front (i.e. XY) side of the printer. Fortunately, I caught it before I'd zip-tied everything down, so it only took a half an hour of work to correct.

Unfortunately, my correction appears to ALSO have been wrong, as the attached picture shows. Looking through the build manual, I don't see anything else that'll attach to the base plate once the spool support is on, but the way it's set up now, I can't screw down the outer leg of the spool support.

How critical is this? Can I get away with leaving it as-is, filing away a recess for the screw head that's sticking up, and only attaching it on the inner leg, or do I have to pull the darn thing apart to orient the base plate correctly?

Hi hubrigant. I think you just need to install/move your spool mount at the 6:00 position (same "bolt pattern" ) between the X and Y axis. I looks like the base plate is correct - if the front panel is at "bottom" of the photo.

Ahh, good point. The top plate is symmetrical, so other than aesthetics, it shouldn't matter where the spool holder is. YAY!

Looking at it again, the base plate is upside down - not rotated. I'm not sure that the filament will feed to the extruder under neath.

the top plate is the way we build them here at the shop... set up your spool holder like this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/seemecnc/ ... /lightbox/
it will mount on the top like this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/seemecnc/ ... /lightbox/
then set up your extruder like this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/seemecnc/ ... /lightbox/
and the extruder will mount like this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/seemecnc/ ... /lightbox/

Guanu

If I redo the spool holder and extruder mounts, won't that have the power for the extruder motor running across the Y axis stop wires? From the instructions, I had the impression that having the extruder wires near the black/white stop wires would trigger ghost stop signals.

Wrap intersecting wire bundles with aluminium foil and tape over.

false end stop signal from the extruder motor can happen, although its extremely rare, but even then typically the reason is running the motor wires and endstop wires down the same tower parallel to each other is what causes it... just having them pass each other should not be enough to have that happen. Have not seen it happen when they just cross by each other otherwise it would happen all the time considering they all plug in at the rambo and are by each other anyways.

Guanu

Parallel runs is what causes it - the motor wiring induces current in the end stop wires. If they cross perpendicularly (or close to it), you won't have any issues.

g.

Also make sure to twist wire pairs. There's a reason companies go through a lot of trouble to twist pairs in cables. In CAT network cable each pair has a different twist per meter just to make sure there's no cross talk.

Twist the wires? Ahh, you're killin' me here! I got those wires in towers already and the mechanical build basically done, and now I learn I should have twisted 'em?

Y'all got any more surprises for me, or ya gonna wait until I'm "finished"?

Finished, of course. That's when I mention that the copper wire has a preferred direction of current flow. Can't have the electrons running against the grain and getting all clogged up.

jdurand wrote:Finished, of course. That's when I mention that the copper wire has a preferred direction of current flow. Can't have the electrons running against the grain and getting all clogged up.

Well, you can set up the correct E field gradient by laying the wire out flat and blowing really hard on what will be the negative end.

If you do, post some video so we can confirm you're doing it right.

If you ran your wires so that the stop wires are not in the same tower as the step motors, then you will be fine.
Ignore the jokesters, although some of the comments were funny. You don't have to twist anything. As indicated if you did not run your stop
wires in the same tower as the step wires then you are golden.

Eaglezsoar wrote:As indicated if you did not run your stop
wires in the same tower as the step wires then you are golden.

Agreed, although I reeeeeeally wanted to see that video...

I agree, some of those jokes were good. I loved the directional electrons, in particular. Needed a good laugh today